1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to packaging arrangements, and particularly to a tab for the covers of such packaging arrangements.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many containers today comprise a base portion having a rim or protruding portion around the top periphery of the base, known as a "top-out", and a cover having an undercut or series there of extending around the periphery of the cover designed to snap over the top-out of the base. This design permits the cover to fit securely to the base. In order to open the package, the cover and the base must be pried apart.
In some containers, the top-out of the base and the undercut of the cover extend in a continuous manner about the periphery of each such that when the undercut snaps over the top-out, a continuous interface between the cover and the base about the periphery of the package is formed. This continuous interface contributes to the leak resistance of the package.
To aid in separating the cover and the base, a tab is often attached to the cover. Two basic types of tabs are flat tabs and indentation tabs. Flat tabs, as their name implies, are flat projections which may extend from the cover, base, or both. While flat tabs may be incorporated into a packaging arrangement without interfering with the continuous interface between the cover and the base, they generally do not possess much structural integrity or rigidity and hence often bend in the process of opening a package. This bending can make it more difficult to open the package.
A second type of tab is an indentation tab. An indentation tab provides a cavity under the cover through which a finger or other object may be inserted into a gap between the cover and the base. The package may then be opened by applying leverage between the cover and the base. While having greater structural integrity, indentation tabs suffer from the disadvantage of yielding a less leak resistant package because they introduce a gap in the interface between the cover and the base and interrupt the continuity of the undercut around the periphery of the cover. Furthermore, if an upward force is applied to the bottom of an indentation tab in an effort to open the package, the undercut surrounding the tab is not drawn away from the top-out and may even be drawn into greater frictional contact with the top-out. As a result, it can be difficult to open a package having an indentation tab through the application of an upward force to the indentation tab.